Development of support infrastructure for innovation activity in the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

Innovation is an already well-established concept in the context of economic development, improving competitiveness and catalyzing the potential of micro, small and medium sized enterprises. The purpose of the paper is to analyze the public policy framework on the development of support infrastructure for innovation activity in the Republic of Moldova, and to elucidate the main strategic documents that include respective provisions and their impact on creating a favorable environment for companies focused on applying innovations in offered processes and / or products. The research methodology is based on the analysis of state policies on the development of innovation support infrastructure, as a result of which it was determined that although, in the last ten years, the priority of innovation is mentioned in more and more strategic documents, the share of gross domestic product expenditure allocated by the government of the Republic of Moldova for science and innovation is in significant decline. Innovation infrastructure (innovation incubators, clusters, science and technology parks), although is constantly evolving, still has significant shortcomings in terms of the interconnection between enterprises and research institutions as a result of poor capitalization and limited application by companies of scientific research / innovations for various reasons (lack of knowledge, of financial resources, of qualified staff, etc.). JEL: O30, O38.